Cambridge Greek Testament Commentary

Mark 2:8

καὶ εὐθὺς ἐπιγνοὺς κ.τ.λ. Mk alone states that Christ knew instantaneously, and that it was in His spirit that He did so. It was in the higher part of His human nature (Mark 8:12), in which He had communion with the Father, that Jesus possessed this supernatural knowledge (John 2:25). In John 11:33; John 13:21, it is Christ’s πνεῦμα which is affected by the presence of moral evil. In Mark 14:34; Matthew 26:38; John 12:27, it is His ψυχή that is troubled at the thought of impending suffering. Bengel draws a questionable distinction when he says that prophetae cognoscebant res in Dei spiritu, non in suo, Christus in spiritu suo divino. Was it not in Dei spiritu in both cases? The difference may have been that this exceptional knowledge was always open to Christ, but not always to the Prophets. Lk. also has ἐπιγνούς here. That the compound sometimes, and perhaps often, implies more complete knowledge than the simple verb, is clear from 1 Corinthians 13:12. Here, as in Mark 5:30, the compound has fuller meaning. All three use ἐπιγινώσκω much less often than γινώσκω: the case is not parallel to ἀποθνήσκω, which takes the place of θνήσκω without difference of meaning and almost drives θνήσκω out of use. In all three Synoptists, as well as in Jn, Christ shows Himself as ὁ καρδιογνώστης (Acts 1:24; Acts 15:8).

Τί ταῦτα διαλογίζεσθε; This reply to the Scribes’ unuttered criticism is almost verbally the same in all three, with the parenthesis in the same place in each—clear evidence that the narratives are not independent. The Scribes themselves hardly knew how far their adverse judgment was provoked by jealousy of a rival teacher rather than by jealousy for God’s honour. By reading their thoughts Christ gave them evidence of His authority, for only He who knows the hearts of men can pardon men’s sins.

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Cambridge Greek Testament Commentary

Mark 2:8

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